Electric signs



L. F. LEESCH ELECTRIC SIGNS Filed July 14, 1955 sept. 3o, 195s- INVENTORal l l Lows F LEEscH,

ATTORNEY States Patent `ce 2,853,819 Patented Sept. 30, 1958 ELECTRICSIGNS Louis F. Leesch, Hallandale, Fla., assignor to U Change Neon,Inc., a corporation of Florida Application July 14, 1955, Serial No.521,955

. 2 Claims. (Ci. 40-130) My invention relates to electric signs.

An important object of the invention is to provide means whereby anelectric sign character is mounted upon each individual supportingelement or block, and a suitable number of the blocks assembled toproduce the completed sign with the sign characters connected in asuitable circuit.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby certain ofthe electric sign characters will continue to operate when one or moreof the sign characters are partly or completely removed. 4

A further object of the invention is'to provide means whereby circuitparts carried by the supporting elements or blocks are suitablyconnected when the blocks are assembled to form a completed circuit withthe signal characters connected therein.

A further object ofthe invention is to provide a sign of theabove-mentioned character, the parts of which may be quickly andconveniently assembled and separated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent duringthe course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughoutsame,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sign unit embodying my invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the sign unit, one section of the casingor block being removed, and the sign character being in the innermostposition for illumination,

Figure 3 is a similar view, the sign character being partly removed aswhen burned out, parts of the sign character being broken away,

Figure 4 is a transverse section taken on line 4 4 of Figure 1,

Figure 5 is a horizontal transverse section taken on line S-S of Figurel,

Figure 6 is a diagrammatic view of a plurality of sign units assembledto produce the complete sign, with one sign character removed.

ln the drawings, where for the purpose of illustration is shown apreferred embodiment of my invention, the numerals 10, 10a, 10b and 10cdesignate supporting elements, casings or blocks, which are preferablyrectangular, and which are identical, so that a description of one willsuice. These casings are formed of insulating material such as plasticsmaterial, hard rubber, ibre or the like. Each supporting element orcasing comprises casing sections 11 and 12 provided with internal lugsor bosses 13. The bosses 13 of one casing section align with the bosses13 of the other casing section and these bosses are secured together byscrews 14 or the like. lt is thus apparent that the casing sections arerigidly and detachably connected.

The casing sections 11 and 12 are provided in their tops withsemi-cylindrical openings 15, which when assembled, form cylindricalopenings 15. These cylindrical openings 15 lead into verticalcylindrical sockets 16 formed in the interior of the casing sections 11and 12 by ribs 16 and 17, formed upon the interior of the casingsections. The cylindrical sockets may be formed by other means. v

Each casing is equipped with a luminous lighting tube character 18. Thisluminous lighting tube character may vary in shape and design for eachcasing. I have shown these luminous lighting tube characters asrepresenting letters but they may be in other designs, such as stars,etc. Each luminous lighting tube character 1S includes a glass tube 19containing neon and having a pressure of about twelve millimetres ofmercury. I may employ the luminous lighting tube shown in the bookentitled Luminous Tube Lighting by Henry A. Miller, 1946. The luminouslighting tube in this book comprises a glass tube with metallic caps onits ends and electrodes are arranged within the caps and are attached tothe caps and electrically connected therewith. The glass tube containsneon. l may also use luminous lighting tubes as shown in Patents2,156,068; 2,238,277 and 2,254,945. The luminous lighting tube which Iemploy is conventional.v The luminous lighting tube 19 which I employhas metal sleeves or caps 2t) attached to the ends of the glass tube 19and electrodes 2l are mounted within these caps and are electricallyconnected therewith.

Each casing is provided at one vertical edge with a T-shaped groove 21formed therein and upon its opposite vertical edge with a T-shapedtongue 22 to engage within the groove 21 of the next casing.

The numeral 23 designates generally U-shaped resilient contacts, formedof bronze or the like. The outer end portion of one contact 23 has ahorizontal portion 24 extending through a transverse slot 25 formed inthe tongue part 22. The horizontal portion 24 is continued in the formof a slightly bowed extension 26 arranged exteriorly of the tongue part22 and having its free end contacting therewith. The companion U-shapedcontact 23 has a generally horizontal portion 27 extending through anopening 28 in the groove part 21 and continued in the form of a slightlybowed extension 29, extending longitudinally of the groove 21 and havingits free end engaging the bottom wall of the groove. The slots 24 and 28are formed in the casing section 11 and the resilient contacts 23 areheld in place within this casing section.

The numeral 3i) designates a metal strip, the ends of which extendthrough slots 31 formed in the casing section 11 and these endsare bentto provide outwardly projecting bowed extensions 32 and 33. The free endof extension 32 contacts with the bottom wall of the groove 21 while thefree end of bowed extension 33 contacts with the outer face of thetongue 22. The strip 30 and its extensions are carried by the casingsection 11.

When the casing sections 11 and 12 are assembled, and the luminouslighting tube character has its ends inserted into the openings 15', themetallic caps or terminals 20 Contact with the outer inclined sides ofthe resilient U-shaped contacts 23 and shift these inclined sides to asubstantially vertical position, Figure 2, whereby the electricalcontact between the inner ends of the resilient contacts is broken. Whenthe luminous lighting tube has burned out and is completely or partlyremoved, Figure 3, the caps or terminals 20 disengage the inclined outerfaces of the resilient contacts and these contacts move inwardly toContact with each other at their inner ends, Figure 3.

In Figure 6, I have shown the casings 10, 10a, 10b and I 10c, inassembled interlocking engagement, the tongue 22 tact with the bowedextension 33 of the next casing, excepting the end casing 10c. Onecasing 10b, Figure 6, has its luminous lighting tube removed and hencethe resilient contacts 23 thereof have their ends in electricalengagement. bowed extensions 29 and 32 of the casing 10c. A clip 35 isengaged beneath the bowed extension 26 of the casing 10 and a metallicclip 36 is engaged beneath the bowed extension 33 of the jcasing 10.V Awire 37 is connected with the metallic clip 35 and with one pole of asource of current 38, and a Wire 39 is connected with the clip 35 and tothe other pole of the source of current. With the circuit arranged asshown in Figure 6, current will pass lfrom the source of current throughthe wire 37, clip 35, resilient Contact 33 of the casing 10, throughkterminal 20, through the luminous lighting tube'18, through thecornpanion terminal 20, through'the companion resilient contact 23 andthen through the next luminous lighting tube of the casing ltlayand thenthrough the engaging resilient contacts 23 of the casing 10b and thenthrough the tube of the casing 10c and then to the clip 34. The currentthen passes through the several metal strips 30 which are in electricalconnection and then through the clip 36 and through the wire 39 back tothe opposite pole of the source of current. It is thus seen that whenany one luminous lighting tube has been removed cornpletely or partly,that the circuit will be made through the engaging companionresilientkcontacts 23 and the circuit may be maintained closed so thatthe remaining luminous lighting tubes may remain lit. It is thus seenthat theV means whichI vprovide not only serves to rnechancally connectthe casings but to electrically connect the conducting elements of thevarious assembled casings so that the circuit may be completed.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes in the shape, size and arrangement of partsmay beresorted to, without departing from the spirit of my invention or thescope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electric sign comprising a plurality of insulating casingsarranged in end to end relation, each casing being provided at-one endwith a tongue and at its opposite end with a groove, the tongue of onecasing being adapted for insertion within the groove of the next casing,a pair of contacts carried -by each casing and having extensions, thecontact extension of one casing en- A metallic clip 34 is engagedbeneath the gaging the contact extension of the next casing, aconducting element carried by each casing and having extensions, theconducting extension of one casing engaging `the conducting elementextension of the next casing, means to electrically connect one contactand one conducting element ofI one end casing, means to electricallyconnect one contact and one conducting element of the other end casingwith a source of current, a luminous lighting tube for use with certainvcasings, terminals carried by the tube to engage with the contacts ofsuch casing, and means carried by the casing for receiving and holdingsaid tube.

2. An electric sign comprising a plurality of insulating casingsarranged in end to end relation, each casing being provided at one endwith a tongue and at its opposite end with a groove, the tongue of onecasing being adapted for insertion within the groove of the next casing,a pair of resilient contacts carried by each casing and havingextensions which project to the tongue and the groove, the contactextension of one casing engaging the contact vextension of the nextcasing, a conducting element vcarried -by each casing and havingextensions, the ,conducting element extensions passing to the tongue andgroove, the conducting element exten- References Cited in the tile ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,885,973 Wilson Nov.v 1, 19321,914,074 Bruijnes June 13, 1933 1,943,772 Prouty Ian. 16, 19341,986,009 Nelson `lan. l, 1935 2,024,409 Wilde Dec. 17, 1935 2,145,967Boland et a1 Feb. 7, 1939 2,552,249 Baxter May 8,1951

FOREIGN PATENTS 365,488 Great Britain Ian. 21, 1932

